There appears to be a need to provide an industrial post protector that will protect posts, such as those which are common in a storage warehouse, from damage by industrial material handling reach or pallet stacking trucks. This is a particular problem in regard to those trucks having reach support prongs or tines extending forwardly from the truck to prevent the truck from tipping when loaded. Also, when these types of trucks are used in storage or similar facilities, particularly in narrow aisle or other cramped space situations, the reach supports of the material handling trucks frequently strike the posts of storage racks at floor level as the reach prongs, of the trucks, are manipulated in and about the posts of the racks, by the truck.
Also, existing post protectors are typically secured by flanges fastened to the floor exterior to a post protector. This exposes the flanges, and the fasteners thereof, to truck wheels and reach prongs which, in turn, tends to cause damage to wheels and reach prongs of material handling trucks.
Numerous attempts have been made in the past to provide structures for protecting posts from being damaged by material handling equipment moved in and around a post at floor level. Most attempts at post protection provide some singular limited sort of protection for a post and require that the structure be attached to, or become part of, the post. As part of the post, any damage to the post protector results in damage to the post as well. Further, none of the prior attempts appear to provide adequate post protection while providing protection for the material handling equipment from damage from exterior structures of such post protectors.
None of the prior art post protectors appear to provide significant multiple elements of protection for a post at floor level, as well as providing protection to material handling equipment from damage from the protector.
Further, some prior art post protectors merely provide a vertically elongated shield that will tend to absorb only nominal impact. More significant impact will cause the shield to give way, resulting in damage to the post. None of the prior art appears to provide a strong resiliently resistive post protective structure that would preclude more significant engagement impact from damaging a post.